Can Physical Exercises Make You Smarter?

Brilliant Reason to Hit The Gym

A gentle reminder and disclaimer before we start: Playing tennis (or any other sport for that matter) won’t get you to master calculus. Now we’ve clear that out, we’re happy to tell you that a number of studies have pointed out that exercising is not only physically beneficial but also great for your mental being. Without further adieu let’s check out what kind of smart can you be after hitting the gym.

1. Improved Focus

If you’re the type that is easily distracted and have a short attention span, then exercising might be the cure for you. With that being said, this theory could apply to children with super short attention span too. According to Dr. Postal, a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical school, aerobic exercise may lead directly, and immediately to improved focus and concentration. Well, logically, through exercising, you learn where to put your focus on, maybe multi-task a little bit but this could be training to increase your focus that you really need.

2. Impulse Control

Impulse control is best developed when you’re still young but frets not, adults too can in time increase their impulse control with proper physical exercising such as playing sports. Physical exercises at the gym could also help with impulse, but there are usually too monotonous than playing a sport. In Football and basketball, for example, dodging a ball from hitting your face could train your impulses to be quick while deciding where to pass the ball, forces you to be more in control of your own decisions and last minute impulses in a very short time.

3. Memory Improvement

Few parts of the brain structure are relevant to process our memory, but the core for memory retention would be the hippocampus. It is essential for memory function, particularly the transference from short to long-term memory and control of spatial memory and behavior. Experiments on different age group show that the hippocampus continues to grow as people increase their aerobic exercise. It’s also worth to note that the hippocampus may shrink due to stress which may affect your memory. Therefore to improve your memory, increase the amount of aerobic exercise (with limits) and avoid getting too stressed out in your day to day activities.